PARRALOX Recovery
There’s very little that I like better in the world of music than a record that is full of ambition and is obviously a labour of love. Much-praised Australian duo Parralox (aka electronics whiz John von Ahlen and singer Amii Jackson) recorded Recovery over two years ago, but as the 1980’s move further away, it’s probably better to be released now (available on iTunes), especially with new and notable releases this year by Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode, who have toured and/or are touring (as well as New Order). Parralox tackles songs by all of them – three by Depeche Mode, one by New Order and its predecessor Joy Division – as well as a most curious and intriguing gamut of 18 pop/new wave/dance tunes from the early 80’s through to the early 90’s, some hits or dance club hits, and others more on the fringe.
For those of you who know Parralox’s recent work, such as “Hotter” (from This Beat Is… Poptronik Volume One) and “Silent Morning”, the supurb cover of the Noel 80’s freestyle and pop hit (also to be included on This Beat Is… Poptronik Volume Two), you are likely more familiar with Amii’s Gwen Stefani-meets-Madonna voice. She has additional shining moments on Recovery, bringing a new human dimension minus the robotix on Kraftwerk’s “The Model”; a bang on ready-for-clubs rendition of Madonna’s “Physical Attraction”; a synth-washed pop version of Depeche Mode’s “Somebody”; and a straight forward take on ABBA’s “The Day Before You Came”, as well as harmonies on some songs.
Most of the rest of the album is John’s baby. He’s brazen enough to offer up radio-ready “Eye In The Sky”, originally by The Alan Parsons Project and the biggest “hit” within, with eerie Eric Woolfson-like vocalizing, and it will be the next single from the album. He pulls some great 80s electropop out of storage, creating beautiful new synth sounds for Blancmange’s “Blind Vision” (who also recorded a much droller and different version of “The Day Before You Came” on the same album, Mange Tout); a dance floor feeding frenzy in the 7 minute + cover of Sparks’ “Number One Song In Heaven” (which original producer Giorgio Moroder has recently praised, take that!!); a more accessible reinterpretation of Front 242’s industrial dance hit “Headhunter”, to me the best song on the album (listen below – wait for that whip to crack!), with vocals as if Dave Gahan joined forces with Blancmange’s Neil Arthur; a strong version of Depeche Mode’s recent hit “Heaven” that was made available on You Tube this Spring; and a bold, proud version of DM’s “Black Celebration” which opens the album as the perfect lead in.
Other successes on their own terms are covers of lesser known songs, such as The Cure’s early “A Forest”, The Human League’s “I Love You Too Much” (from the Hysteria album), Pet Shop Boys’ “In The Night Two” (which was the B-side to PSB’s 80’s hit “Opportunities”), and Australian act Q Lazzarus’ “Goodbye Horses”, which some of you may know better from a mid-90s cover by Canadian group Psyche.
A record of 18 songs does not go without its missteps, and I give full credit to Parralox for their creativity and insight into these songs, but they would be the reworks of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, New Order’s “Touched By The Hand Of God”, and DAF’s “Kebabträume” – the latter is not my cuppa, and I’m way too attached to the originals of the former two. All in all, though, you can lock me up in a room anytime with a host of Parralox covers and while I might not know what to expect next, I will be totally, and enthusiastically, engaged 🙂
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